Snow White Cafe, a kitschy Disney-themed diner and dive bar located at 6769 Hollywood Boulevard, has abruptly shuttered. It had been in business for 78 years.
Its interior, which was decorated with murals of characters from Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, has been gutted.
There is plenty of lore surrounding the Disney murals. Some say the artwork was drawn by Disney artists who worked on the original feature — and it may have been, though there’s no way to prove it. The eatery was originally known as the Snow White Waffle Shop, and later became the Snow White Coffee Shop, before finally turning into the Snow White Cafe. It had been in more or less continuous operation since 1946, just nine years after the release of the Walt Disney feature film.
Although the restaurant had no affiliation with The Walt Disney Company, its usage of Disney characters was almost certainly done with the company’s permission. It’s an arrangement that would be unimaginable today, but was likely grandfathered in due to the age of the establishment. A menu from the original 1946 waffle shop boasts a “Walt Disney Productions” copyright mark, suggesting that even in its earliest incarnation, the restaurant had licensed the characters from Disney.
A view of the recently gutted interior, as well as some older photos can be seen below. Further interior photos of the artwork may also be found HERE.
For those who want to still visit an unofficial Disney eatery, look no further than the delightfully unhinged Little Kook in Athens, which changes its decor seasonally and often includes Disney-theming.
